Dorthe Lange

In the 1930 the Great Depression tested the communities in the United States. One photographer  who was there to document the travesties of the Depression was Dorthea Lange. She was able to create images that not only captured the fragile human spirit but also the LOVE that communities have for one another. With her image Migrant Mother, aid was sent to those in the West who were in need, Without this photo there would not have been any evidence of how severe the time were.

Migrant Mother, 1936.

Watch this video at 5 Min And 40 Seconds On Dorthea Lange’s Migrant Mother https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgZPQMyzKiE

And read this article:

And answer the following questions by downloading the form: https://forms.gle/dAcAPFt2BZah9hDS9
Below are the questions.

1. Before the depression, what did Lange take photos of?

2. What was a Pea Pickers Camp?

3. Why did Lange originally pass by the camp and not stop?

4. How long did she stay taking photos?

5. Why was the photograph of the oldest daughter in the front not a good photo choice for Lange’s assignment?

6. How many photos did Lange take before she took the final Migrant Mother photo?

7. Why did Lange have the Mother touch her face?

8. Why was Lange's Migrant Mother chosen to represent a lesson on migrant workers?

9. What did the photograph of Migrant Mother come to define and represent during the depression and afterward?

10. Now that you know this famous photograph was staged, why do you feel it does or does not diminish it’s 
emotional power? Explain your answer.

11. Do you think the image that was widely published was the most successful choice? Why or why not?

12. Which of the images would you have chosen? Consider the framing, cropping, angle, and composition of the image.